Recently, the number of families having a pet is steadily increasing in association with the low birthrate. However, such pets are often not kept in a manner suited for the nature of the pets. In particular, as a result of unbalanced diet, a pet can have a symptom like an adult disease such as diabetes mellitus, and there is also a case that the pet is taken to a veterinarian.
Under such a situation, business of diagnosis for pets has been increasing in recent years. If nephropathy of a pet could be found early, a veterinarian could provide direction to the guardian for improving the manner of having the pet, especially the manner of feeding. Generally, cystatin C (CysC), β2 microglobulin (β2-m), and α1 microglobulin (α1-m) are recited as markers for nephropathy.
Cystatin C, for example, derived from human, is a basic low molecular protein having a molecular weight of 13000 Da. Human-derived cystatin C is produced in cells throughout the human body, and is secreted outside cells at a constant production amount without considerably influenced by environmental change inside and outside the cells, and is recently reported to be useful as an index for early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.
β2 microglobulin, for example, derived from human, is produced in cells throughout the human body, and is secreted outside cells at a constant production amount without considerably influenced by environmental change inside and outside the cells, and is recently reported to be useful as an index for early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.
α1 microglobulin, for example, derived from human, is produced in cells throughout the human body, and is secreted outside cells at a constant production amount without considerably influenced by environmental change inside and outside the cells, and is recently reported to be useful as an index for early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.
However, it is the current state of art that as for feline-derived cystatin C, β2 microglobulin, and α1 microglobulin, not only an antibody specific to the protein does not exist, but also an amino acid sequence of the protein has not been elucidated yet.